McDonough County has a tradition of women social activists — those such as Josie Westfall, who spent her life as a matron of the county's first orphanage, and Ruth Tunnicliff, who developed the first serum for a measles vaccine.

There was also Lida Crabb, a newspaper writer who championed local social causes, and Sadie "Mother" Moon, a mother to 10 children while devoting her life to helping those less fortune.

Because of the efforts of the GFWC Macomb Woman's Club, a women's memorial statue named "Facing the Storm" and patio will be erected in Chandler Park to honor the county's past, future and present social activists. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday morning on the west side of the park, where the monument will be located.

Pat Sivill, the GFWC Woman's Club's president, local historian and author John Hallwas, Macomb Mayor Mike Inman, and Jaci Willis, the artist who will sculpt "Facing the Storm," each made remarks.

"The earlier female crusaders tended to be opposed, overlooked or dominated by men, so their burden was doubly challenging," Hallwas said. "And the memorial statue, for which we break ground today, titled 'Facing the Storm,' expresses that historic difficulty."

The bronze statute to be made by Willis depicts a woman standing against the wind and protecting a little girl, who is holding a cat. The woman's hat is decorated with roses. The red rose is the GFWC International flower. The cat represents feminine intuition.

In her comments, Willis acknowledged her grandmother, who attended business school at a time when many didn't while raising five children.

"Because of what she did, I went into the field I did," Willis said. "I would not be who I am today. When someone walks by the memorial, I want them to realize we all have our own hardships and storms to face, and with each one, we take one more step forward."

Willis is the youngest of 15 children. At age 20, she worked three part-time jobs and attended night school to become a draftsman. She had two children before deciding to return to school, and earned an MFA in 2009.

Willis now teaches at Bradley University in Peoria, is a board member of Chicago Sculpture International and has completed numerous commissioned works.

The Macomb Woman's Club hopes to raise $60,000 through the sale of memorial bricks and benches that will be placed in the patio, as well as other fundraisers. Once the $60,000 mark has been reached, Wills will begin work on the statue.

Willis said it will take about a year to finish the "Facing the Storm" commission. She'll start with a stick model molded over with clay, and then make a rubber mold. The statue will be welded together from 15 sections and about 800 pounds of bronze will be used. Willis' work studio is on the Bradley campus and her students will follow the progress on the statue's completion.

Page 2 of 2 - Tina Belz, GFWC Woman's Club member and co-chair of the club's memorial committee, also made remarks.

"We are over halfway to realizing our goal to erect an artistic bronze sculpture to memorialize some early activists in social reform," she said, "and to forever honor all women, past, present and future for their efforts in bettering the lives of others."

Descendants of Sadie Moon and Lida Crabb helped break ground on the memorial. John Moon of Macomb, the only surviving son of Sadie Moon, who passed away in 1956, and his son David Moon attended, along with Mary (Crabb) Kerr of Washington, Ill., the fraternal granddaughter of Lida Crabb.

Following the ceremony, Kerr said her grandmother would have been humbled by the memorial.

"She was not a person who sought publicity," she said. "I think she would have been proud to be included in that group. She has left a legacy for friends and family and the town."

Kerr, a graduate of Western Illinois University and a retired school principal, said Crabb was always proud that Kerr went into the education field.

Work on the brick memorial patio, designed by Lacky Monuments, will begin in about a month, according to Belz. Jack Laverdiere Construction will complete the patio construction. Belz said plans are to have Willis' bronze statue in place by 2015.

The Woman's Club has sold 178 memorial granite bricks and more are available, ranging from $100 for a 4x8 to $500 for an 8x8. For $1,000 to $3,000, a name may be engraved on the statue base as bronze, silver or gold benefactor. Granite benches with an engraved name may be purchased for $2,500.

A limited edition of 25, 14-inch bronze statuettes are available for $3,200.

All donations qualify as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt donation because of the Macomb's Woman's Club partnership with the Western Illinois Museum. Donations for the memorial are being received and managed by the museum until the project is complete.

To make a donation to the McDonough County Women's Social Service Memorial, visit http://womens-memorial-macomb.weebly.com or contact Tina Belz at 309-255-5325, Marilyn Pastorelli at 309-255-1952 or Sally Sallee at 309-331-3695.